The Voluntary Guidelines for the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security (VGRtF) were developed and endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) in 2004 and are one of the overarching frameworks for the work of the CFS. The implementation of the Guidelines are primarily the responsibility of States who are encouraged, with the contribution of all stakeholders, to apply them in developing their strategies, policies, programmes and legislation for achieving food security and nutrition objectives. The Guidelines take into account a wide range of important considerations and human rights principles (participation, accountability, non-discrimination, transparency, human dignity, empowerment and rule of law) to guide activities designed to improve food security, taking into account the need for emphasis on poor and vulnerable people: http://www.fao.org/3/a-y7937e.pdf.

The Committee on World Food Security invites you to share experiences and good practices on the use and application of the Voluntary Guidelines for the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security (VGRtF).

The inputs received will contribute to the identification, sharing and documentation of experiences in the use and application of the VGRtF, and good practices that have contributed to their success. In this context, good practices are interventions or approaches that deserve to be shared as examples in order to facilitate greater use, implementation and monitoring of the VGRtF.

Examples include interventions to mainstream the right to food into legal and policy frameworks; establishment of participatory mechanism for governing food policy decisions; establishment of public remedy mechanisms for violations to the right to food; training for developing capacity to use and apply VGRtF of civil society, lawyers or government officials; initiatives to monitor the right to food at local, national or regional levels.

Inputs will contribute to monitoring progress on the use and application of the VGRtF, both from a qualitative and quantitative perspective. All inputs will be compiled in a document made available for delegates at CFS 45 in October 2018.

In identifying and documenting good practices, please consider the values promoted by CFS, as applicable:

Inclusiveness and participation: all relevant actors were involved and participated in the decision-making process, including those affected by the decisions;

Evidence-based analysis: the effectiveness of the practice in contributing to the lives and livelihoods of the beneficiaries was analysed on the basis of independent evidence;

Environmental, economic and social sustainability:the practice contributed to achieving its objectives, without compromising the ability of addressing future needs;

Gender Equality:the practice promoted equal rights and participation of women and men and addressed gender inequalities;

Focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized people and groups:the practice benefitted the most vulnerable and marginalized people and groups;

Multi-sectoral approach:all main relevant sectors were consulted and involved in the implementation of the VGRtF;

Resilience of livelihoods:the practice contributed to building resilient livelihoods of households and communities to shocks and crises, including those related to climate change.

The deadline for submissions is 23 October 2017. Submissions can be made in any of the UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish).

Experiences and good practices of the University of Oviedo on Global Food Governance

Geographical coverage

National, with activities at the global level.

Country(ies)/Region(s) covered by the experience

Spain

Your affiliation

University of Oviedo

How have the VGRtF been used in your context? Which specific guidelines of the VGRtF was most relevant to your experience?

According to the University Development Cooperation, the goal is promoting the participation of the university community in outreach, awareness-raising, mobilization and education for development activities fostering a caring society committed to the fight against poverty and exclusion.

As a Public University, this activity is related to the following guidelines:

GUIDELINE 1 Democracy, good governance, human rights and the rule of law

The collaborative activities with local and regional governments, such as those leading to the signing of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, are related to the following guidelines:

GUIDELINE 2 Economic development policies

GUIDELINE 3 Strategies 11

GUIDELINE 6 Stakeholders

Brief description of the experience

Since 2013, the University of Oviedo has worked on a continuous basis towards the reinforcement of the realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security. Since then, four major milestones can be highlighted:

Milestone 1: (2013-2015) The University worked with other organizations in fostering knowledge, and stimulating reflection and debate on hunger and malnutrition in Spain, and contributed to the development of a recommendation plan for the reduction of food waste in Spain in cooperation with the civil society, and political, social and business organizations.

Milestone 2: Creation of the Chair of Studies in Global Food Governance (2016), a research centre aimed at gathering information on the physical and economic access to adequate and sufficient food, and promoting and facilitating knowledge and policy tools regarding food and nutrition security.

Milestone 3: The University is part of the group promoting the Right to Food Observatory of Spain (2017).

Milestone 4: Collaboration with local governments and signing of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact in July 2017 by the Oviedo and Mieres city councils.

Who was involved in the experience?

Milestone 1: Different public institutions, NGOs, civil society and private sector participating in the National Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition in Spain.

Milestone 2: Academia and researchers.

Milestone 3: Parliamentary Front Against Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean (FPH), Technical Secretariat of the Right to Food Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean, Promoting Group of the ODA-E Network, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), international organizations, civil society, as well as more than ten Spanish academic institutions.

Milestone 4: Academia and local administrations.

How were those most affected by food insecurity and malnutrition involved?

Participation of CSOs on behalf of the food insecure.

Main activities

• Analysis of the research conducted on vulnerable groups.

• Presentation of experiences and good practices in city councils that signed the Milan Pact.

• Participation in discussion forums organized by FAO (Spain), FAO (Latin America and the Caribbean), the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP).

• Attendance to workshops on agrarian research for development and dialogues on nutrition and sustainable food systems.

• Design of quantitative and qualitative research techniques to assess food governance and vulnerable groups in Spanish society, and understand the reality of the different actors in the agrifood system.

Timeframe

Started in 2013, currently ongoing.

Results obtained/expected in the short term, with quantitative aspects where feasible (estimate of the number of people that have been or will be affected)

Results obtained:

-In relation to Milestone 2: Different stakeholders of the agrifood chain were involved. The project, raising awareness amongst students and civil society, is ongoing. Impact cannot be quantified.

-Regarding Milestone 3: Currently more than a dozen Universities are involved in a project to establish the Right to Food Observatory, as well as several NGOs.

-With respect to Milestone 4: The University of Oviedo and the Oviedo City Council are committed to raise awareness amongst the general public and eradicate unhealthy eating habits by promoting the "Zero Hunger Generation" race.

Results obtained/expected in the medium to long term, with quantitative aspects where feasible (estimate the number of people that have been or will be affected)

Regarding Milestone 2: Meetings are being held with the Scientific Committee, comprised of leading researchers, to conduct outreach research activities and raise awareness amongst students.

Meetings with local and regional politicians shall be planned to share the information related to the physical and economic access to adequate and sufficient food, and promote knowledge and policy tools regarding food and nutrition security.

With respect to Milestone 3: A meeting will be held in Spain to define the research areas and organise working groups based on the Right to Food Observatory network in Spain. There is also the intention of formalizing the link between the ODA-ALC and ODA-E in the VII Regional Meeting of the Right to Food Observatory of Latin America and the Caribbean in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

In relation to Milestone 4: Currently several city councils that have already implemented different food strategies at the local level are interested in signing the Milan Pact.

Results obtained – most significant changes to capture

-Establishment of the Chair for Global Food Governance Studies as a research centre focused on topics related to the right to food.

-Signing of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact by the University of Oviedo, the Oviedo City Council and the Mieres City Council (and other city councils in the process of signing).

-Member of the promoting group of the research network for the establishment of the Right to Food Observatory of Spain.

What are the key catalysts that influenced the results?

Spanish Network of Universities

Support from the FAO Regional Office for Spain and the FAO Right to Food Team

ODA-ALyC

Hunger-Free Latin America and the Caribbean 2025 Initiative

What are the major constraints/challenges for achieving the Right to Food?

Some private stakeholders in the civil society are struggling to understand that the right to food approach has to go beyond the charitable notion.

What mechanisms have been developed to monitor the Right to Food?

Two research projects between Universities and civil society are being developed within the frame of Development Cooperation, and another between European Universities.

What good practices would you recommend for successful results?

-Raising awareness among young people about the importance of food as a human right.

-Acknowledging the link between the food system and the stakeholders to collaborate in the design of sustainable public food policies.

-Promoting a food governance that improves social justice and reduces social inequalities.

Guadalupe Valdez, FAO Special Ambassador for Zero Hunger for Latin America and the Caribbean, Dominican Republic

Title of the experience

Law No. 589-16 creating the National System for Food and Nutritional Sovereignty and Security in the Dominican Republic.

Geographical coverage

National (Dominican Republic), and linked to regional process in Latin America and the Caribbean

Country(ies)/Region(s) covered by the experience

Dominican Republic and Latin America and the Caribbean

Your affiliation

Member of National Parliament (2010-2016).

How have the VGRtF been used in your context? Which specific guidelines of the VGRtF was most relevant to your experience?

Legal frameworks: Article 6 of the law defines and recognizes the rights to adequate food and protection against hunger, and establishes special provisions for those requiring special protection: children, breastfeeding women and vulnerable groups.

Institutions: 5.1 5.2 5.4 The law establishes a new institutional framework for the coordination and implementation of policies with participatory mechanisms.

Stakeholders: The process involved a wide range of stakeholders and the law establishes participatory mechanisms.

The law establishes 10 intervention and policy areas related to different guidelines:

1. Access to food and social protection Guidelines 13 and 14

2. Production and availability of food, with a special focus on strengthening networking and creating an inclusive environment that addresses the specific needs of small producers and family farmers regarding their access to technology, credit, insurance and marketing. Guidelines 8.2 and 8.10.

3. Promotion of land tenure and efficient use. Guidelines 8.1, 8.7 and 8.10.

The law establishes monitoring and evaluation mechanisms (Guidelines 17 and 13.2), National Plans (Guideline 3) and features provisions on budget allocation (Guideline 14).

Brief description of the experience

In 2010, representatives of the Ministries of Agriculture and Health, civil society, several organizations (FAO, WFP, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and UNDP) and parliamentarians started to work together on consultations and awareness-raising initiatives to promote a legal and institutional framework to eradicate hunger and malnutrition and guarantee the realization of the right to food. Experiences from other countries (Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua) were gathered and assessed, and 8 regional forums were organized to discuss the potential approach of a law of this nature with sectorial governmental stakeholders (agriculture, health, education, etc.), local governments, civil society, and the private sector. In 2011, this collaboration was formalized with the establishment of an inter-institutional committee. In parallel, the proposal of 41 Members of Parliament and 6 Senators led to the establishment of the Parliamentary Front against Hunger (Frente Parlamentario contra el Hambre), aimed at promoting the right to food following a multiparty approach. The Interinstitutional Committee drafted a law proposal based on a comparative analysis of other legislations, FAO documents on the right to food and dialogues held in regional forums. However, the Committee itself was uncertain as to whether the consultations had been sufficient. With FAO support, a mixed consultation was organized, including an electronic consultation between the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012. This consultation brought new elements, such as the inclusion of the food sovereignty approach along with the food and nutritional security perspective. With the support of the legal services of the House of Representatives, FAO technical teams (legal service and right to food team) and the Interinstitutional Committee, the Parliamentary Front took the leading role in the legislative process and, after the disruption due to the 2012 elections, 66 members of parliament, including some members of the Parliamentary Front against Hunger, submitted the draft law in March 2013. Although it expired in January 2014, the draft law was presented again in February 2014. The Human Rights Commission of the House of Representatives thoroughly reviewed the draft law and completed the assessment analysing the experience of the Assembly of Ecuador in specific issues related to the engagement and monitoring of the law. The House of Representatives unanimously approved the draft law in September 2014, which was then submitted to the Senate. The draft law expired and was presented once more in February 2015. After the unanimous approval by the House of Representatives in April it was submitted to the Senate.

In July 2015, a similar proposal was submitted to the Senate. Given the situation, the Parliamentary Front analysed the differences with the approved law and, assuming these could be resolved, promoted the mutual consolidation. The Senate approves the proposal of law consolidated in December 2015, which is then submitted to the House of Representatives for the approval of the corresponding amendments. Finally, the House of Representatives approves the law in June 2016, which is enacted by the President of the Republic on the 8th of July of 2016.

The process and technical assistance provided by FAO was supported by the Spanish and Mexican Agencies for International Development Cooperation (AECID and AMEXCID, respectively).

How were those most affected by food insecurity and malnutrition involved?

(E.g. participation of CSOs representing food insecure and malnourished segments of the population in all training)

The consultation process engaged 50 organizations, including the following representatives:

Afro-descendants,

Subsistence farmers and without land,

Commercial farmers,

Youth,

Conservationists,

Women,

Fishermen,

Religious organisations,

Health sector,

Urban sectors,

The face-to-face/virtual consultation featured an online and radio communication campaign. To guarantee an effective participation, the organizations were trained, and preparatory workshops were organised.

Main activities

Analysis of experiences and best legislative practices of other countries in the region.

12 regional/provincial forums held in 2010-2011 and a virtual consultation held between November 2011 and January 2012, with the participation of more than 600 organizations.

Awareness raising among legislators on the importance of providing a legal framework on the right to food.

Establishment of the Parliamentary Front against Hunger of the House of Representatives, September 2011.

Training through consultations of parliamentarians, government, and civil society organizations.

More than 20 actions related to experience sharing, South-South cooperation and the participation of parliamentarians in international forums and policy dialogues with government and civil society stakeholders through the Parliamentary Front against Hunger in Latin America (PFH Latin America) and the Hunger-Free Latin America and the Caribbean 2025 Initiative, including the 5th Forum of the PFH Latin America held in Santo Domingo in 2014.

Communication and awareness-raising actions for the population, including:

National contest of children´s drawings, leading to the issuance of thematic stamps on the right to food.

Minute Festival on the Right to Food: organised by the National Peasant Articulation, OXFAM Grow Campaign, FAO, UNDP, PAHO, INCAP, WFP, the PUCMM Social Communication Department, the UASD Film School, and the General Directorate of Cinema.

Timeframe

2010-2016

Results obtained/expected in the short term, with quantitative aspects where feasible (estimate of the number of people that have been or will be affected)

Engagement and empowerment of the population regarding the effective and full realization of the right to adequate food, as expressed in the corresponding consultations.

Public consultations on the right to food, with valuable contributions for the draft law on food and nutritional sovereignty and security. 8 regional and 4 provincial workshops were organised, with the participation of more than 540 people and 50 organizations.

Inclusion of the right to food in the agenda of the House of Representatives, with the discussion and approval of the law on food and nutritional sovereignty and security (known in Spanish as Ley SSAN)

Awareness raising among legislators on the right to adequate food and the need to provide the country with a legal instrument that facilitates the effective realization of the right to food security (Constitution, article no. 54).

Results obtained/expected in the medium to long term, with quantitative aspects where feasible (estimate the number of people that have been or will be affected)

The process brought a law that creates an institutional framework and provides political guidance with a rights-based approach, with the aim of strengthening the fight against hunger and malnutrition in the Dominican Republic and guaranteeing the right to adequate food for the entire population (more than 10 million inhabitants).

The Dominican Republic is a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) and a middle-income country. Its insular nature entails high vulnerability to climate change and economic shocks, given its dependence on imported energy and the economic importance of tourism and remittances. Despite progress has been made in reducing undernutrition and chronic malnutrition, levels are still high and obesity and overweight pose an increasing problem. The effectiveness of the current policies and programmes is limited, and they seem to be insufficient to achieve the SDG 2 and help to avoid the "middle income trap". It is expected that the new SSAN law will improve the synergies and effectiveness of the policies, contributing not only to the realization of the right to food and the achievement of SDG2, but also to the fulfilment of other SDGs.

Results obtained – most significant changes to capture

With the enactment of the SSAN law and the drafting of the enforcement regulations by the executive branch, the ministries and sectors working in the past on food and nutritional security in an uncoordinated manner start building interinstitutional synergies.

What are the key catalysts that influenced the results?

The food price crisis and the financial and economic crises, which began in 2007, provided an opportunity to question paradigms and incorporate food to the political debate.

The 2010 constitutional reform, which included food security as a fundamental right. The approval of Law 1-12 of the 2030 National Development Strategy, with specific objectives linked to the right to foo, was also beneficial.

The good coordination between FAO, WFP, PAHO and UNDP at the country level, which facilitated the initial stage.

The establishment of the Parliamentary Front against Hunger of the House of Representatives, an entity that promoted the understanding and approval of the Law in the National Congress.

The existence of a regional debate and of cooperation and experience-sharing processes facilitated by the Hunger-Free Latin America and the Caribbean Initiative and FAO, through the transversal parliamentary fronts that promoted state policy approaches, rather than a partisan agenda, as well as the consolidation of a regional agenda and cooperation processes through CELAC.

The maturity of the civil society that enabled a broad and steady debate.

The long-term commitment of development partners such as AECID and AMEXCID

What are the major constraints/challenges for achieving the Right to Food?

The establishment of the Food and Nutritional Sovereignty and Security Council (known in Spanish as CONASSAN), governing body of the Food Sovereignty and Security system.

The drafting of the SSAN PLAN, a four-year plan that will establish the policies, programmes, budgets and state projects on food and nutritional sovereignty and security, as well as the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

The vulnerability of the country due to its insular nature, and the corresponding impact of the climate change.

The effective coordination of the ministries and sectors related to food and nutritional security.

What mechanisms have been developed to monitor the Right to Food?

The Technical Secretariat of the Food and Nutritional Sovereignty and Security Council (CONASSAN) providing technical support, is responsible for designing and running an information and monitoring system of the food and nutritional sovereignty and security.

The National Network for Food and Nutritional Sovereignty and Security was established, aimed at coordinating the drafting, monitoring and evaluation of the National Plan for Food and Nutritional Sovereignty and Security. The Network will have a participatory nature, aimed at facilitating the coordination between the civil society and the State, to ensure the realization of the right to adequate food.

What good practices would you recommend for successful results?

Effective and inclusive participation, involving all the stakeholders, the civil society and the government, in the drafting of the agenda and the contents of the law from the initial stage, in a transparent manner.

South-South and triangular cooperation: Peer to peer dialogue at the political and technical level. Knowledge building is collective.

Regarding cooperation resources: these political-technical processes do not require substantial funding, but a certain degree of consistency, so that support is appropriately available when required, as the political momentum is unpredictable, and the windows of opportunity are ephemeral.

Links to additional information

Law No. 589-16 creating the National System for Food and Nutrition Sovereignty and Security in the Dominican Republic.

The 2014 edition of the Right to Food and Nutrition Watch was decidated to examining the RtF guidelines. In particular the first 3 articles will support this exercise within the CFS. These articles include:

01 The “Rights” Time: Civil Society Reflections on the Right to Adequate Food (p13), Abby Carrigan

02 The Right to Food Guidelines, Food Systems Democratization and Food Sovereignity: Reflections by Olivier De Schutter (p17)

03 Rethinking the Voluntary vs. Binding Divide: A Reflection after 10 Years of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Right to Food (p22) Sofía Monsalve Suárez and Fabienne Aubry

Support to the implementation of the national component for the regional project « Intégrer le Droit à une alimentation adéquate et la bonne gouvernance au sein des politiques, législations et institutions nationales » [Integrate the right to an adequate food and good governance to the center of policies, legislation and national institutions].

Geographical coverage

Regional (Senegal, Togo, Malawi)

Country (ies)/Region(s) covered by the experience

Even though it is a regional project, the experience concerns Togo in particular.

National consultant

How have the VGRtF been used in your context? Which specific guidelines of the VGRtF was most relevant to your experience?

The FAO Guidelines 6 and 7 were used in the framework of the project in relation to improving the legislative framework of the right to food.

Brief description of the experience

The project « intégrer le Droit à une alimentation adéquate et la bonne gouvernance au sein des politiques, législations et institutions nationales » had as objective the reinforcement of the legal and institutional framework so as to contribute to improving good governance and the coherence of actions on food security and nutrition. It was also about setting up a system of communication and promotion of the right to adequate food in Togo.

Who was involved in the experience?

Many actors participated in the activities of the project. They were public actors (Ministries, Parliament, Justice, etc.), the universities, private businesses (private business, NGOs, farmers’ organizations, etc.).

How were those most affected by food insecurity and malnutrition involved?

They were reached at two levels:

Directly, through their participation in workshops at national and regional levels.

Indirectly, certain actors received publications or brochures on the right to food. Broadcasts on the different radios or documentaries offered contributed to spreading information on the question throughout the country.

Main activities

Many activities were carried out, in particular:

The workshop to consider the implementation of a national council on food security and nutrition took place in Lome (Togo) on the 22nd and 23rd February 2017 with the participation of 55 people, of which 13 were women. The meeting also included national experts from Senegal and Bolivia as well as from the FAO Unit for the Right to Food in Rome;

The workshop of reinforcement of the knowledge of Members of Parliament on the process of preparation of a legal framework for the right to food took place on the 7th and 8th November 2016 and the report on the workshop was transmitted to FAO;

The workshop on knowledge reinforcement of journalists on the right to food took place on the 22nd and 23rd December 2016;

implementation of a national network of journalists for the right to food in Togo took place on the 18th May 2017, engaged in the promotion of the right to food;

Missions on sharing awareness and documents on the right to food in Togolese schools and universities in March and April 2017 (Université de Lomé, Lome University; l'Institut Nationale de Formation Agricole de Tové, National Training Institute of Tove; Université de Kara, Kara University).

Timeframe

Togo benefitted from the project from September 2016 to May 2017.

Results obtained/expected in the short term, with quantitative aspects where feasible (estimate of the number of people that have been or will be reached)

establishment of a national network of journalists for the right to food in Togo took place on the 18th May 2017, engaged in the promotion of the right to food;

More than 500 students were made aware and about 1000 documents and publications distributed;

Training of about 60 Deputies and parliamentary assistants

Results obtained/expected in the medium to long term, with quantitative aspects where feasible (estimate of the number of people that have been or will be reached).

The workshop for reinforcement of knowledge of Members of Parliament has succeeded in obtaining their commitment in favor of the adoption of a legal framework on the right to food in Togo. A road map was drawn up to this end.

Preparation of documentaries and broadcasts for the promotion of the right to food by journalists of the network of journalists for the right to food. These actions will allow the creation of awareness among many people in the country.

Results obtained - most significant changes to capture

Involvement of private actors and others in the reforms and projects in their locality.

What mechanisms have been developed to monitor the Right to Food?

The desire of all the actors to contribute to the elimination of hunger which is a reality.

What are the main constraints/challenges for achieving the Right to Food?

As constraints, one notes, among others:

gender inequality ;

poverty and other forms of inequalities;

absence of solidarity;

Lack of a mechanism adapted to the coordination of actions in terms of food security;

Shortcomings in the sanitary controls of food.

What mechanisms have been developed to monitor the Right to Food?

There are no especial mechanisms to monitor the right to food. On this issue, the Ministry in charge of agriculture plays its inherent role following up the actions of food security with the support of its partners.

What good practices would you recommend for successful results?

As good practices:

Involvement of actors from the university world

Dietary education;

Involvement of the base populations in the initiatives on the subject.

Implementation of the project "promotion of the right to food and good governance in relation to food security"

Geographical coverage

National

Country (ies)/Region(s) covered by the experience

TOGO

Your affiliation

Project Assistant Coordinator (government)

How have the VGRtF been used in your context? Which specific guidelines of the VGRtF was most relevant to your experience?

All the Guidelines were used in the framework of training and awareness, in particular in the elaboration of the diagnostic review on the right to food in Togo. Nevertheless, Guidelines 1,6, 7, 10 and 11 were very much requested, in particular on the questions of good governance, parties taking part, land entitlement or again on nutrition. The Guidelines were used in the framework of awareness, and in particular in the preparation of a diagnostic review on the right to food in Togo.

Brief description of the experience

The project “promotion of the right to food and good governance in relation to food security" is an important project that has made possible to draft the bases and to start the process of implementation of the right to adequate food in Togo. Consecrated in particular to the reinforcement of the knowledge of the actors, this project carried out with the support of FAO has enabled the definition of the state of the food security situation in Togo, to train and make aware many actors and to spread FAO's Voluntary Guidelines.

Who was involved in the experience?

Many actors participated in the activities of the project. They were public actors (Ministries, Parliament, Justice, etc.), private sector (private businesses, NGO's, farmers’ organizations, etc.), leaders of opinion (the traditional chieftains, religious leaders) and other people through publications and broadcasts on the media.

How were those most affected by food insecurity and malnutrition involved?

The people most affected by food insecurity and malnutrition were involved on two levels:

Directly, through their participation in workshops at national, regional and prefecture level (5 regional and 35 prefectures involved in training and awareness sessions). Most of the participants in the prefectures and regions were essentially vulnerable people such as small producers, young people and women.

Indirectly, certain actors received publications or brochures on the right to food. Broadcasts on the different radios and documentaries proposed contributed to sharing information on the question throughout the country.

Main activities

As main activities, one notes among others:

the organization of training in the five (5) regions of the country on the legal and institutional framework of the right to food in October 2014;

training and creation of awareness among traditional chiefs and members of civil society on the right to adequate food at the national forum of Togolese farmers, in February 2015;

organization of a workshop on reinforcing capacities of public, civil society and private sector actors on the right to food and food security, in June 2015;

organization of a workshop on awareness creation and exchanges on the framework of dialogue in all regions, on July 2015;

organization of workshops at prefecture level, on creating awareness about the right to food, in September 2015;

training of traditional chiefs, from the region of Savanes, on the right to adequate food, in October 2015;

organization of workshops to reinforce knowledge on the right to food of Members of Parliament, November 2015;

preparation of a diagnosis on the right to food in Togo;

preparation of a communication strategy.

Timeframe

The project has lasted almost two years (March 2014 to December 2015).

Results obtained/expected in the short term, with quantitative aspects where feasible (estimate of the number of people that have been or will be reached)

This project has permitted direct training and creating awareness of 3604 persons, of whom 1031 were women, taken from the public sector, civil society, private sector and leaders of opinion. This does not take into account the actors touched indirectly by the dissemination of awareness campaigns through the media and other means of communication.

Results obtained/expected in the medium to long term, with quantitative aspects where feasible (estimate of the number of people that have been or will be reached).

The different actions of the project made possible:

the reinforcement of the fight for a healthy and adequate diet and a balanced nutrition;

urgent consideration of the establishment of a national entity for the health security of food;

the improvement of food security, resilience of the communities to climate change and the access of young people and women to employment;

Making thousands of people aware on their right to food, given that the main actors trained served as channels for passing the information to their bases.

Results obtained - the most significant changes to capture

After the realization of the project civil, society threw itself into the fight for food security by spreading awareness everywhere and disseminating good hygiene and feeding practices as well as the promotion of local products. Many NGOs were opened in this way (RAPDA – Togo, Alliance contre la faim [Alliance against hunger], OADEL etc.).

The private sector, which leads the way, begins by becoming aware of their role in obtaining the right to food.

Also, the population is more and more vigilant about the quality of food stalls and encourages the government to do the same so as to ensure the protection of the consumer.

The government has also taken into account the right to food in their new agricultural policy and their new program of food security. This new program called Programme national d’investissement agricole de sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnel (PNIASAN) [National program of agricultural investment for food security and nutrition] after 2016 includes the concept of nutrition contrary to the previous program.

What mechanisms have been developed to monitor the Right to Food?

Political will and that of all the actors to contribute to the elimination of hunger which is a reality.

What are the main constraints/challenges for achieving the Right to Food?

The main constraints/challenges for achieving the right to food such as revealed in the diagnostic study of 2015 on the question in Togo embrace among others:

the inadequacy of agricultural productivity;

the growth of population and urbanization;

climate change and food crises;

gender inequality ;

poverty and other forms of inequalities;

absence of solidarity;

the lack of a mechanism adapted to the coordination of actions in terms of food security;

the shortcomings in the appropriation of the right of adequate food;

The shortcomings in the sanitary control of food, etc.

What mechanisms have been developed to monitor the Right to Food?

There is no special mechanism for monitoring the right to food outside the usual entities for following up on human rights carried out by the National Commission for Human Rights and those of the Ministry in charge of human rights in the framework of the periodic universal examination. On this issue, the Ministry in charge of agriculture plays its habitual role of following up the actions of food security with the support of its partners.

What good practices would you recommend for successful results?

As good practices:

Increased awareness of key actors, in particular, the leaders of opinion and actors in the agro-business;

Need of a hygiene and food guide;

Catalogue and promotion of easily accessible local nutritive products;

Diet education;

Involvement of the base populations in the initiatives on the subject;

Reinforcement of the knowledge of Members of Parliament about the Voluntary Guidelines

Geographical coverage

National (Togo)

Country (ies)/Region(s) covered by the experience

TOGO

Your affiliation

National FAO office and Ministry of Agriculture, livestock and water management

How have the VGRtF been used in your context? Which specific guidelines of the VGRtF was most relevant to your experience?

The Voluntary Guidelines, in particular the Nos. 6 and 7 which seek to improve the legal framework on the right to food.

Brief description of the experience

In the framework of a regional project entitled « intégrer le Droit à une alimentation adéquate et la bonne gouvernance au sein des politiques, législations et institutions nationales » ( integrate the right adequate food and good governance into policies, legislative bodies and national institutions ) funded by the Government of Norway through FAO, Togo was chosen in 2016, on the basis of initiatives carried out in the country between 2014 and 2015 for the promotion of the right to adequate food. Togo with the support of the FAO office has introduced a series of activities to reinforce the knowledge of those involved on actually understanding the notion of the right to food and the Voluntary Guidelines.

Togo has therefore organized workshops for Members of Parliament, journalists, communication professionals and NGOs leaders for three consecutive years. The objective is the reinforcement of knowledge about the legal and institutional framework of Togo so as to contribute to the improvement of good governance and coherence of actions on food security and nutrition. It also concerned the establishment of a system of communication and promotion of the right to adequate food in Togo, with the ultimate objective of opening up a national debate on the adoption of a framework law on the right to adequate food in Togo. A diagnostic review of the situation of the right to food was carried out and the final document approved in a national workshop was edited and is available.

Who was involved in the experience?

Many actors participated in the activities of the project. There were public actors (ministries, Parliament, justice, etc.), universities, private actors (private business, NGOs, farmers’ organizations, etc.). More than 2000 people were directly involved in all the 5 regions of the country, and at least two million people through radio and television.

How were those most affected by food insecurity and malnutrition involved?

The experience that we want to emphasize here is the training given to 30 Deputies and parliamentary assistants who are members of two commissions: agro-pastoral and food security, and the Legal commission of the Togolese Parliament.

At the end of two days, all the Members of Parliament received a set of documents edited by FAO on the right to food including the Guide on drawing up Legislation.

Main activities

Many activities were carried out, in particular:

The workshop to consider the setting up of a national council on food security and nutrition took place in Lome (Togo) on the 22nd and 23rd February 2017. There were 55 participants, of whom 13 were women. The meeting also enabled experiences to be shared with experts who came from Senegal, Bolivia and from the Right to Food Unit of FAO in Rome; and to appreciate the approaches implemented in other countries. The workshop on reinforcement of the knowledge of Members of Parliament about the process of drawing up a legal framework on the right to food took place on the 7th and 8th November 2016 and the report on the workshop was transmitted to FAO;

The workshop on reinforcement of the knowledge of journalists on the right to food took place on the 22nd and 23rd December 2016;

Establishment of a national network of journalists for the right to food in Togo, engaged in the promotion of the right to food, took place on the 18th May 2017.

Missions on sharing awareness and documents on the right to food in schools and universities of Togo in March and April 2017 (Université de Lomé, Lome University; l'Institut Nationale de Formation Agricole de Tové, National Agricultural Training Institute of Tove; Université de Kara, Kara University).

Timeframe

Togo implemented the series from March 2014 to May 2017. Follow-up actions continue with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding in Togo (Wanep).

Results obtained/expected in the short term, with quantitative aspects where feasible (estimate of the number of people that have been or will be reached)

Training of journalist and implementation of a national network of journalists for the right to food in Togo, on the 18th May 2017. This network of journalists is involved henceforward in the promotion of the right to food;

More than 500 students of three training centres (Université de Lomé, de Kara and Institut de Formation Agricole de Tové) were made aware of the right to food and about 1000 documents and publications were distributed to these students;

Training and distribution to 30 Deputies and parliamentary assistants of sets of documents promoting the right to adequate food.

Results obtained/expected in the medium to long term, with quantitative aspects where feasible (estimate of the number of people that have been or will be reached).

The workshop for reinforcement of the knowledge of Members of Parliament made possible the securing of their commitment to the adoption of a legal framework on the right to food in Togo. A road-map was drawn up to this end.

Making of documentaries and broadcasts for the promotion of the right to food by certain journalists from the national network of journalists for the right to food. These actions made it possible to create awareness among many people in the country.

Results obtained - the most significant changes to capture

A stronger involvement of actors from civil society organizations for the promotion of the right to food. Topics related to the Voluntary Guidelines are more and more aired on rural radios and over the State media. The Deputies of the Togolese Parliament have a better knowledge of the Voluntary Guidelines and have a basic knowledge of the concept of the right to adequate food.

What are the key catalysts that influenced the results?

The Togolese Members of Parliament and other actors were directly involved in an exchange session with FAO experts coming from Rome (Mr. Juan Cebolla) and the national experts. Thus the will of all the actors to contribute to the elimination of hunger in the country was positively affirmed, each one knowing their role. The question of land entitlement emerged as a priority for the country and reforms for the adoption of a new law regarding land entitlement were to be undertaken by the Government.

What are the major constraints/challenges for achieving the Right to Food?

As constraints, one notes, among others:

the inequality of gender, in particular in the rural sector and on questions of the right to land;

the lack of a mechanism adapted to the coordination of actions on food security issues;

the shortcomings in the sanitary controls of food.

What mechanisms have been developed to monitor the Right to Food?

On this issue, the Ministry in charge of agriculture plays its inherent role of following up the actions on food security with the support of its partners. The journalists trained form a group distributing information and awareness on this question. Therefore, there is no special mechanism for monitoring the right to food that is established so far. This will not be long in coming.

What good practices would you recommend for successful results?

A thorough involvement of actors from the world of university training, journalists and civil society organizations allows for a better distribution of information on the question of right to food.

An illustration of the concept by sessions on food education, the presentation of documentary films and chat shows helps to dispel the myth about the concept of the right to food and to make the roles and responsibilities more precise.

This is a local experience, involving the characterization of the Manizales School Feeding Programme (known in Spanish as PAE), led by the Secretary of Education of Manizales and developed by the Ministry of National Education of Colombia, as a sustainable food system, as part of a PhD research.

Title of the experience

Sustainable school food system in Manizales

Geographical coverage

Colombia

Country(ies)/Region(s) covered by the experience

Manizales municipality in the Caldas Department.

Contact person (with email address)

Name: Beatriz Elena Pinilla Jiménez.

Your affiliation

Secretary of Education of Manizales

How have the VGRtF been used in your context? Which specific guidelines of the VGRtF was most relevant to your experience?

The PAE was established in Colombia by the national government and become effective in 2014. The experience aims at defining the conditions and requirements to make the PAE a sustainable school food system.

Brief description of the experience

A PhD research on sustainable development is currently being conducted at the University of Manizales. Working with four official educational institutions of the San José commune, the proposal is focused on the importance of making the PAE a sustainable school food system.

Who was involved in the experience?

University of Manizales. PhD in sustainable development. Official educational institutions.

How were those most affected by food insecurity and malnutrition involved?

The San José commune lives in conditions of food and nutrition insecurity due to its economic and social situation, an urban renewal macro-project with negative impact on the township, small-scale drug trafficking, prostitution and common crime. Children attend educational institutions and receive school feeding (breakfast and lunch) there every day.

The initiative is expected to impact the entire PAE in the Manizales municipality

10 000 students in primary education.

Making the PAE a sustainable food system. In other words, protecting the capacity of future generations to meet the food requirements and using official resources efficiently to guarantee the access to diverse and nutritious food leading to a healthy diet for all students.

What are the key catalysts that influenced the results?

Support from the Secretary of Education of Manizales.

PhD mentoring (University of Manizales)

What are the major constraints/challenges for achieving the Right to Food?

Financial support for this research

Acceptance of the proposal at the government level

What mechanisms have been developed to monitor the Right to Food?

Characterization, monitoring and research of school canteens of the educational institutions in the San José commune.

The UN Decade of Action on Nutrition – a window of opportunity for the realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security and nutrition

Geographical coverage

Global

Country(ies)/Region(s) covered by the experience

Relevant for all countries, as nearly all countries are affected by the multiple burden of malnutrition

The Nutrition Decade fosters national, regional and global policy dialogue to facilitate and enhance local action, which in turn aims to maximize impact at all levels. The Work Programme highlights that a localised approach that involves civil society is important to ensure Member State ownership of initiatives and policies; to adjust to the different political structures and environments in which nutrition initiatives need to be taken; to address the vast geographic and socio-economic differences within a given society; and to ensure that solutions are equitable, inclusive, people-centred and “leave no one behind”.

Your affiliation

Marzella Wüstefeld, Department for Health and Development, WHO

UN organization

How have the VGRtF been used in your context? Which specific guidelines of the VGRtF was most relevant to your experience?

Ensuring the right to adequate food extends far beyond merely ensuring the minimum requirements of energy needed for survival but includes access to food that is nutritionally adequate. Increasingly the right to adequate nutrition is being recognized as an essential element of the right to food and the right to health. Specific reference is made to guideline 10, in addition the Nutrition Decade Work Programme also addresses most of the other guidelines.

Today, nearly one in three persons globally suffers from at least one form of malnutrition: wasting, stunting, vitamin and mineral deficiency, overweight or obesity and diet-related NCDs. In 2014, approximately 462 million adults worldwide were underweight, while 1.9 billion were either overweight or obese. In 2016, an estimated 41 million children under the age of 5 years were overweight or obese, while 155 million were chronically undernourished. Nutrition-related factors contribute to approximately 45% of deaths in children aged under 5 years (mainly due to undernutrition), while low- and middle-income countries are now witnessing a simultaneous rise in childhood overweight and obesity.

The work programme highlights explicitly that coherence between trade and nutrition policies is vital. Trade policies and agreements should support implementation of nutrition policies and programmes and should not negatively impact the right to adequate food in other countries.[1] , which is also addressed in guideline 2, 4, 9 and 19.

Recognizing the growing threat of malnutrition in all its forms, and their serious and lasting developmental, economic, social and health impacts for individuals and their families, for communities and countries, the United Nations General Assembly, on 1 April 2016, adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition from 2016 to 2025. This Nutrition Decade aims to ensure universal access to healthier and more sustainable diets – for all people, whoever they are and wherever they live, including the most vulnerable ones and those in emergencies and conflict situations.

The Nutrition Decade presents a unique opportunity for intensified accelerated actions to ensure a coherent, inclusive and transparent response to malnutrition, embedded within the human rights.

As the Work Programme highlights, the Nutrition Decade provides an enabling environment such that national, regional and international policies and programmes respect, protect and fulfil “the right of everyone to have access to safe, sufficient, and nutritious food, consistent with the right to adequate food, the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger consistent with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other relevant United Nations instruments”.

Who was involved in the experience?

All Member States and their partners.

The Nutrition Decade is very much a time for ALL stakeholders to take ACTION across the 6 interconnected action areas.

How were those most affected by food insecurity and malnutrition involved?

The Work Programme of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition was developed through a participatory and transparent process. A platform of public interest civil society organizations and social movements that have actively engaged in the preparatory process for the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) and continue to advance its follow-up also submitted a collective position “Manifesto” to highlight the principles on which the Decade should evolve, their expectations and how they are engaging.

The Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) for relations with the CFS actively participated in online consultations to help shape the Nutrition Decade, including by providing specific text to enrich its Work Programme. Participants from 48 countries responded through 189 individual contributions. Their added value and concerns were also presented by way of speakers’ interventions in the several events organized to promote the Nutrition Decade, and captured in the UNSCN flagship publication UNSCN News 42 – A Spotlight on the Nutrition Decade.

Main activities

Recognizing that the underlying causes of malnutrition are complex and multi-dimensional, the activities under the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition focus on 6 interconnected Action Areas:

Reflecting both the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) Framework for Action, the Nutrition Decade provides a platform for country-driven SMART commitments towards the shared goal of ending hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030, embedded within human rights.

Governments and their partners are encouraged to make SMART Commitments to Nutrition Action, that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time bound. Thereby country-specific commitments do reflect national priorities and depend on the country’s nutrition situation, and current food and health systems.

In addition and under the Nutrition Decade, countries interested to move forward on a specific topic are encouraged to establish and lead Action Networks. These are groups of countries with shared policy and programme ambitions and that will catalyze further leadership, knowledge sharing, and action.

Timeframe

A fixed timeframe of 10 years from 2016 to 2025

Results obtained/expected in the short term, with quantitative aspects where feasible (estimate of the number of people that have been or will be affected)

The results obtained and activities implemented within the framework of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition are being summarized in biennial reports jointly compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) that are presented to the Governing Bodies of the two co-facilitating UN agencies WHO and FAO. Furthermore, the biennial progress reports are presented to the CFS at its Annual Session and to the UN Secretary General who is invited to inform the General Assembly about the implementation of the Decade.

Results obtained/expected in the medium to long term, with quantitative aspects where feasible (estimate the number of people that have been or will be affected)

The aim of the Nutrition Decade is to accelerate implementation of the ICN2 commitments towards the prevention of all forms of malnutrition, achieve the global nutrition targets and diet-related noncommunicable disease targets by 2025 and contribute to the achievement of related SDG targets by 2030.

There are more and more countries that are making policy and financial commitments to improve nutrition. Stakeholders are working together with a good unifying coherent policy framework.

What are the key catalysts that influenced the results?

The two innovations of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition are that countries are encouraged to make SMART commitments, implement them and report regularly about their actions, and new ways of collaboration between countries through engaging in Action Networks.

What are the major constraints/challenges for achieving the Right to Food?

Political will, technical capacities and efficient accountability systems are needed to reach the global nutrition and SDG targets.

As articulated in SDG17, ensuring effective accountability requires a clear understanding of and advancement in data collection as well as systematic tracking systems at both the country and global levels.

What mechanisms have been developed to monitor the Right to Food?

Nutrition is inherent element of the right to adequate food. A dialogue on accountability, in line with declarations on aid effectiveness (Accra Agenda, Paris Declaration) and the Framework for policy coherence for sustainable development1, is being established with all relevant initiatives and platforms aimed at soliciting commitments in nutrition and related fields.

Very promising ways forward are indicated by Brazil and Ecuador who became the first countries submitting their SMART commitments for concrete actions on nutrition within their national strategies and policies for sustainable food systems that can contribute to ending malnutrition in all its forms;

Moreover, Norway has set the example of leading an action network on Sustainable Food from the Ocean for Food Security and Nutrition;

The Director Generals of WHO and FAO, in their joint communication, encouraged all Member States to step up efforts, in accordance with the Nutrition Decade Work Programme.